Former Credit Union Lending Director Charged with Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Filing False Tax Returns

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kevin Robert Lee, 35, of Tallahassee, Florida, was arraigned on Friday in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with twenty counts of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft from a lending institution, and three counts of filing a false tax return.  The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that Lee was the lending director of FSU Credit Union (FSUCU), a Tallahassee-based credit union, a position that allowed him to open new customer accounts and approve lines of credit.  The indictment also alleges that Lee served as treasurer of the Tallahassee Chapter of Credit Unions (TCCU), a non-profit organization that advocates pro-credit union legislation.

The indictment further alleges that, between June 2014 and November 2017, Lee fraudulently opened customer accounts at FSUCU using the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of three individuals without their consent or knowledge, and in doing so, that Lee forged their signatures and fraudulently opened lines of credit for those accounts.  Further, Lee is alleged to have made unauthorized withdrawals and transfers of funds from the accounts of approximately 20 FSUCU customers, which were deposited into the three fraudulently opened accounts.  The indictment also alleges that Lee used the embezzled funds and fraudulently obtained loan proceeds to pay his personal creditors (such as for his home mortgage and credit cards) and to conceal his embezzlement.  In total, Lee allegedly obtained or attempted to obtain more than $800,000.  Lee also allegedly submitted false tax returns for the 2015-2017 calendar years.

The maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison.  Lee faces a 2-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for aggravated identity theft.  The trial is scheduled for April 15, 2019, at 8:15 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, after being alerted by FSU Credit Union.  Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.